America’s favorite talking cleaning supply, SpongeBob Squarepants, is turning 10 and Pink is among the celebs wishing him many happy returns.
The singer has recorded “We’ve Got Scurvy,” a rollicking tune about – well – scurvy, for a 17-track CD marking the 10th anniversary of the insanely popular Nickelodeon show.
Earlier this year, NPR reported that one week in March, nine of the top 20 shows on cable were episodes of “SpongeBob” and Nickelodeon estimates 45 million people over the age of 18 watch the show each month.
And the network’s vice president of animation, Brown Johnson, admitted to NPR Nickelodeon is not above using the little yellow guy to wipe up the competition. (Sorry, couldn’t resist.)
"If we are sort of down in the ratings we sort of put it everywhere," Johnson said. "Sometimes it's on eight times a day."
So why are the adventures of a hyperactive sponge and his dim-witted starfish best friend Patrick, sour-tempered squid neighbor Squidward, greedy crab boss Mr. Krabs and meowing pet snail Gary so wildly popular? Like all the best cartoons, “SpongeBob” plays on multiple levels.
"You watch when you're a little kid and you like it because it's pretty and it's funny and they do goofy things," Syracuse University professor Bob Thompson told NPR. "You watch it again when you're 10, and suddenly all of the new mysteries of life begin to pop up in here as well. And then you watch it when you're a 21-year-old in a frat house and suddenly there's a whole other quality that appeals to you."
In case you’re one of the 10 people in the United States who hasn’t seen the show, here’s a clip of SpongeBob and Patrick tormenting Squidward with slide whistles.
Pink, who is among other well-known fans like President Obama, Scarlett Johansson, David Bowie and Johnny Depp, will also make a guest appearance as an animated version of herself in an upcoming episode of the show.
Also drafted for the celebration is Gnarls Barkley’s Cee-Lo Green, who has remixed the show’s theme song for a brand-new opening sequence that will debut later this year, as well as recorded the track “Don’t Be a Jerk (It’s Christmas).”